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Miniature Altarpiece with the Sacrifice of Isaac, the Crucifixion and Moses with the Brazen Serpent
Dutch, Early 16th Century
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”
John
3:14-21 Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of
Lent, Year B
What is this
serpent lifted up by Moses in the desert that Jesus refers to when speaking to
Nicodemus? Well, since the earliest
years Christians have seen this incident, described in the Book of Numbers, as
a metaphor or sign of the Crucifixion of Jesus.
As described in the Book of Numbers:
“From Mount Hor the children of Israel set
out on the Red Sea road,
to bypass the land of Edom.
But with their patience worn out by the
journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
"Why have you brought us up from Egypt
to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched
food!"
In punishment the LORD sent among the people
saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them
died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
"We have sinned in complaining against
the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from
us."
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD
said to Moses,
"Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and whoever looks at it after being bitten
will live."
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and
mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a
serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.”
Numbers
21:4-9 Reading I from the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14
This bronze
serpent, often called the brazen serpent, set on a pole by Moses and lifted up
so that that those who had been bitten could view it, has been interpreted as a
prefiguration of the body of Jesus, lifted up on the Cross. Where the bronze serpent cured those who
looked at it of the effects of deadly snakebite, the body of Jesus (the Son of
Man) on the Cross will cure those who look at it and believe in Him of the
greatest death, the permanent death of the soul. Belief in the One lifted up will lead to
Eternal Life for those who look and believe.
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| Moses and the Brazen Serpent From Orations by Gregory Nazianzenus Byzantine (Constantinople), 11th-12th Centuries Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Coislin 239, fol. 18 |
Christian
artists embraced the significance of this image from Saint John’s Gospel and
produced many visual works that reminded viewers of the significance of this
idea. I think that it is fair to say
that behind each image of the brazen serpent, lies the text of this Sunday’s
Gospel.
Most images
present the Old Testament text from Numbers without much adornment and without
needing to hammer home the analogy to the Crucifix. In fact, they set the serpent, often conceived of as dragon-headed, with ears and sometimes wings, on top of a column or pedestal, instead of hung on a pole.
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| Enameled Plaque of Moses and the Brazen Serpent Mosan, c. 1160 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
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| Moses and the Brazen Serpent From a Picture Bible French (Saint-Omer), c. 1190-1200 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76 F 5, fol. 6v |
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| Enameled Plaque of Moses and the Brazen Serpent German, c. 1200 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Frequently, additional figures beside Moses and his brother Aaron are shown. These figures often are entangled with the biting serpents, or hold out parts of their bodies that have been bitten, asking for healing.
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| Moses and the Brazen Serpent From the Golden Munich Psalter English (Oxford), c. 1200-1225 Munich, Bayerisches Staatsbibliothek MS Clm 835, fol. 20r |
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| Moses and the Brazen Serpent From a Book of Hours German (Bamberg), c. 1204-1219 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 739. fol. 16v Here, as in the image above, the figures wear the traditional pointed hats that indicate Jewish identity in medieval Europe. In this image, which is nightmarishly terrifying, some of the sufferers are actively being bitten by snakes, which are wrapping themselves around them and biting at mouths, eyes, nose and throat.
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| Michiel van der Borch, Moses and the Brazen Serpent From Rhimebible by Jacob van Maerlant Dutch (Utrectht), 1332 The Hague, Meermano Museum MS MMW 10 B 21, fol. 35r
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| Moses and the Brazen Serpent From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1400 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 9, fol. 179v |
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| Bible Masters of the First Generation, Moses and the Brazen Serpent Dutch (Utrecht), c. 1430 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 78 D 38, dl1, fol. 103v |
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| Jan Joest von Kalkar, Moses and the Brazen Serpent Dutch, 1508 Kalkar, Catholic Paris Church of Saint Nicholas |
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| Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Brazen Serpent Italian, 1511 Vatican City, Apostolic Palace, Sistine Chapel |
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| Anthony van Dyck, The Brazen Serpent Flemish, c. 1618-1620 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, Moses and the Brazen Serpent Flemish, c. 1634-1640 London, National Gallery |
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| Tapestry After Charles Le Brun, Moses and the Brazen Serpent French, c. 1686 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Brass Tobacco Box with Moses and the Brazen Serpent Dutch, 18th Century New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Corrado Giaquinto, the Brazen Serpent Italian, c. 1743-1744 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Corrado Giaquinto, The Brazen Serpent Italian, c. 1749-1751 Rome, Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme |
Some images include a reference to the foreshadowing of the Crucifixion, either by direct juxtaposition, or by some
sort of allusion.
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| Allegory of Salvation From Bestiaire divin by Guillaume Le Clerc English, c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 14969, fol. 9 |
One of the primary, as one of the earliest, is in making the "pole" on which the serpent is displayed, into a cruciform shape, with a crossbar, instead of the simple pole referred to in the biblical text.
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| Agnolo Bronzino, The Brazen Serpent Italian, c. 1542 Florence, Palazzo Vecchio, Cappella di Eleonora |
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| Johann Brabender, The Brazen Serpent German, 1546 Hildesheim, Catholic Church of Saint Anthony |
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| Moses and the Brazen Serpent From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1547-155 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1429, fol. 37 |
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| Maarten van Heemskerck, The Brazen Serpent Flemish, 1549 Princeton (NJ), Princeton University Art Museum |
The miniature from the Book of Hours and the drawing by Heemskerck above illustrate the impact that the discovery of the already famous statue of Laocöon and His Sons had on artists.
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| Athanodorus, Agesandrus and Polidorus of Rhodes, Laocoon and His Sons Roman, 40-20 BC Vatican City, Museo Pio Clementino, Cortile del Belvedere |
The statue was known from preserved ancient texts before it was found in the ruins of the Baths of Trajan on January 10, 1506. Its horrifying image, taken from the history of the Trojan War, of struggling human figures in the coils of a strong sea serpent had an enormous impact on artists from the date of its discovery.
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Vincenzo Danti, Moses and the Brazen Serpent
Italian, 1559
Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello
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| Tintoretto, The Brazen Serpent Italian, c. 1575-1576 Venice, Scuola Grande di San Rocco |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, Moses and the Brazen Serpent Flemish, c. 1609-1610 London, Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery |
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| Sebastien Bourdon, Moses and the Brazen Serpent French, c. 1653-1654 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Luca Giordano, Erection of the Brazen Serpent Italian, c. 1703-1704 Naples, Certosa di San Martino |
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| Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, Moses and the Brazen Serpent Italian, 1707 Venice, San Moise |
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| Johann Jacob Stevens, The Brazen Serpent Czech, c. 1718-1725 Ossegg, Convent Chapel of the Assumption |
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| Jean Charles Frontier, Moses and the Brazen Serpent French, c. 1750 Gray, Musée Baron Martin |
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| Charles Francois-Hutin, The Brazen Serpent French, 1753 Dresden, Holy Trinity Catholic Church |
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| Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Continental Asia from Allegory of Heaven and Earth Italian, 1753 Würzburg, Staircase of the Residence of the Prince Bishops |
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| William Blake, Moses Erecting the Brazen Serpent English, c. 1800-1803 Boston, Museum of Fine Arts |
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| James Tissot, Moses and the Brazen Serpent French, c.1896-1902 New York, Jewish Museum |
Some images
went further. They made a direct
juxtaposition of the brazen serpent and Christ upon the Cross.
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| Chalice with Crucifixion on the Knob and Moses and the Brazen Serpent on the Foot German, c. 1230-1250 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Cloisters Collection |
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| Bowl of a Chalice showing the Crucifixion German, c. 1201-1225 Hildesheim, Papal Basilica of Saint Godehard |
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| Foot of the Same Chalice with Moses and the Brazen Serpent German, c. 1201-1225 Hildesheim, Papal Basilica of Saint Godehard |
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| Bedford Master and Workshop, Crucifixion From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1430-1435 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 359, fol. 111v
Here the image of Moses and the Brazen Serpent is found in the lower left corner.
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| Hugo van der Goes, Calvary Triptych Flemish, c. 1465-1468 Ghent, Cathedral of Saint Bavo
Here the Brazen Serpent story if found in the right hand panel.
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One of the
most common ways in which this direct juxtaposition was transmitted was through
works such as the Biblia pauperum,
which divided the history of salvation into three eras: Before the Law, that is stories from the Books
of Genesis and Exodus; Under the Law, that is the remainder of the books of the
Old Testament; and Under Grace, that is the books of the New Testament. The sample shown here compares the
Crucifixion with the Sacrifice
of Isaac, in which before the Law Abraham is willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, at God’s
command and is stopped at the last minute by an angel, and the setting up of
the brazen serpent by Moses, under the Law. The
Crucifixion is under Grace and is the lifting up of God’s son as He willingly accepts a
sacrificial death to save mankind.
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| Rambures Master, Sacrifice of Isaac, Crucifixion of Jesus, Moses and the Brazen Serpent From a Biblia pauperumFrench (Amiens), c. 1470 The Hague, Meermano Museum MS MMW 10 A 15, fol. 32r |
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| Enamel Pyx with Moses and the Brazen Serpent French, c. 1501 Ratingen, Private Collection |
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| Enamel Pyx with The Risen Christ Displaying His Wounds to Doubting Thomas French, c. 1501 Ratingen, Private Collection |
The
early Protestant reformers adopted the image of the Brazen Serpent to emphasize
their belief that one is saved solely through grace and belief, without
necessarily engaging in good works. Lucas
Cranach the Younger produced what might be considered a painted manifesto of
this idea in his rather odd painting known as the Weimar Altarpiece.
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| Lucas Cranach the Younger, The Weimar Altarpiece, Center German, 1555 Weimar, Stadtkirch Sankt Peter und Paul |
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| Cristobal de Villalpando, Moses and the Brazen Serpent and the Transfiguration of Jesus Mexican, 1683 Puebla, Catédral de Nuestra Seňora de la Immaculada Concepcion |
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| Franz Georg Hermann, The Glorification of Divine Wisdom German, c. 1755-1757 Bad Schussenried, New Convent Library |
In the
painting above, made for a Catholic convent, Moses and the Brazen Serpent is seen just to the right of the
Crucified Jesus, while in the painting below, made for a Protestant church, the two are presented directly opposite
each other at the narrow ends of the ceiling. By the eighteenth century there was no difference in the iconography, just as before the Reformation.
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| Johann Nepomuk Nieberlein, Ceiling German, 1774 Dinkelsbuehl, Evangelical Hospital Church |
The Biblical Aftermath
“In the third year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah,
son of Ahaz, king of Judah, became king.
While the
story of the setting up of the Brazen Serpent and its connection to the
Crucifixion are fairly common in the history of art, there is a small body of
works that record the after effects. All
of them date to the fourteenth century.
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| Hezekiah Destroys the Brazen Serpent From Histoires bibliques French (Saint-Quentin), 1350 Paris, Bibliotheque natinale de France MS Francais 1753, fol. 107v |
Apparently,
the bronze serpent on a pole, set up by Moses, was preserved after the
Israelites settled down and, over time, became an object of cult worship. However, the pious king of Judah, Hezekiah,
who ruled during a period in which Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrian king
Sennacherib in the eighth century BC, destroyed such cult objects. As Second Book of Kings tells the story:
He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned
twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi, daughter of
Zechariah.
He did what was right in the LORD’s sight, just as David his father had
done.
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| Hezekiah Destroys the Brazen Serpent From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), 14th-15th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 159, fol. 166 |
It was he who removed the high places, shattered the pillars, cut down the asherah, and smashed the bronze serpent Moses had made, because up to that time the Israelites were burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
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| Jean Bandol and Others, Hezekiah Ordering the Smashing of the Brazen Serpent French (1371-1372) The Hague, Meermano Museum MS MMW 10 B 23m 184 |
He put his trust in the LORD, the God of Israel; and neither before nor
after him was there anyone like him among all the kings of Judah.
Hezekiah held fast to the LORD and never turned away from following
him, but observed the commandments the LORD had given Moses.”
2 Kings 18:1-6
Presumably, the people had lost track of the real meaning of the Brazen Serpent and were worshiping it as an idol in its own right and not as a helpful sign of God's love and protection.
Presumably, the people had lost track of the real meaning of the Brazen Serpent and were worshiping it as an idol in its own right and not as a helpful sign of God's love and protection.
© M. Duffy, 2018
- Mellinkoff, Ruth. The Horned Moses in Medieval Art and Thought, Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of California Press, 1970.
- Harrison, Jefferson C. “The Brazen Serpent” by Maarten van Heemskerck: Aspects of Its Style and Meaning, Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University, Volume 49, 1990, pp. 16-29.
Scripture texts in this work are taken
from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by
permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New
American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from
the copyright owner.
1 comment:
greetings....
classic images...
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